Overview

• On July 14, Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia challenged IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti on X over a video in which Kamakoti endorsed cow urine’s antibacterial, antifungal and digestive benefits.
• The footage dates back to a January 15 ‘Go Samrakshana Sala’ event in Chennai where Kamakoti recounted an anecdote of an ascetic curing a high fever within 15 minutes by drinking cow urine.
• Bhatia’s critique argued that elite academic leaders risk undermining their institutions’ credibility by promoting unverified health claims.
• Reactions on X have been split between users citing research on cow urine’s properties and those warning that such claims could mislead the public without medical consensus.
• Experts and activists previously urged peer-reviewed evidence before endorsing traditional remedies at institutional platforms, highlighting tensions between cultural practices and scientific standards.